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Donald A. Binns joined the United States Navy in 1936 and attended boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois. He retired after twenty years as a Chief Petty Officer. Interviewed on May 9, 2003, by Luke Thompson as part of the Lawrence Remembers: The World War II Years Project, Binns talked about his military experiences during the Second World War. Binns was born on August 5, 1917. Prior to World War II, Binns worked as a destroyer tender on the USS Melville and spent two years on the USS Bittern. After reenlisting, Binns was stationed in Guam, where he worked on a patrol boat. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 10,000 Japanese soldiers landed on Guam and captured many American soldiers, including Binns. The Japanese soldiers then took Binns and the others to Zentsuji, a prisoner of war camp in Shikoku, Japan. Binns spent four years at the camp. During his time there, he worked at the railroad freight station. Binns discussed his time in the military before the war, the experience of being captured in Guam, and his time as a POW in Japan. He talked about the conditions of the camp, the Doolittle Raid, and his encounters with Japanese civilians and the guards. Following his retirement from the Navy, Binns taught at Lawrence High School and served on the Lawrence City Commission. He passed away on February 3, 2005. More information about this oral history can be found at http://history.lplks.org/items/show/1718.
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